A surge of power crept up her back, chasing her hunger away. It was a welcome relief even though the hunger was not completely gone, just put on hold. Whatever this creature was, it was more powerful than Seth. Shivers seized Jayd when she tried not to let fear get the better of her. The vampire watched the raven lift its head slowly to stare at her. The beak melted away, feathers fell to the floor disappearing in smoke. Spindly feet gave way to sandaled ones and a black downy belly straightened to reveal the most beautiful woman Jayd had ever seen. She was staring at an angel. Her eyes were clear and silver like the surface of a smooth star. Her hair was blue-black, and she was dressed in a gray gown with a matching cloak.
"Hello, Jayd."
Jayd instinctively stepped back, not sure if she should be in awe or fear of this woman. She swallowed hard and realized her teeth had retracted. “H-hello."
The woman laughed. “You don't have to be afraid of me. I know all about you, Jayd."
"Who are you?"
The woman stepped closer. There was no malice in her nature or in her gesture. “Seth calls me Nephthys, the Egyptian goddess of death. You can call me Morrigain. I am the ruler over the ragtag bunch of Raven Warriors you have been introduced to."
Jayd was flabbergasted. A goddess was standing before her! How was that possible? As possible as talking with the Angel of Death, she reminded herself. Jayd remembered that conversation rather well. Azrael had been quite clear that she was not alive anymore, but that if she needed him, she could always go back to the clearing and talk to him. Now she was speaking with a goddess. “Wow. A goddess. So does that mean you're going to pass judgment on me for being a vampire and seducing one of your Warriors?"
"What? No, dear child. I'm here to see if I can ease some of the burden that you feel. I know how much you love Seth and he loves you. It would be a shame for you to have to go through an eternity being a vampire."
"It's true that Seth loves me. I can see it in his eyes whenever he looks at me and feel it in his caresses when he touches me, but...” Jayd stopped and shook her head. She closed her eyes and searched her heart. She did not feel the same devotion that he did to her.
"But you're not sure if you can open your heart to him?"
Jayd nodded.
Morrigain opened her arms to Jayd. After a moment of brief hesitation, Jayd stepped into them and relaxed. She felt like she was home being in the goddess's embrace. She felt safe. She wanted to wind back the clock and be able to tell her mother to get out of the house because her father was coming home to shoot her. But Jayd didn't have that kind of power Her heart pounded in her chest. She wanted to cry, but no tears came to her eyes. She had lost that ability when she had crossed over the threshold of death.
"Hush now, Jayd. I didn't realize that you were undecided about Seth. But no matter how you feel about him, I came here with an alternative offer. Something to help you deal a little bit better with your new existence. Or maybe a choice you will take me up on. It's up to you, of course."
Unsure what the goddess what talking about, Jayd pulled away from her arms. The goddess seemed surprised that she didn't have her heart set on Seth. The vampire shook it off. Maybe she can't get into my head or something because I'm a vampire. I don't know. I wonder what she has to offer. “What can you do to help me deal with being a vampire? You can't make me human again. Unless you're that powerful. No offense."
A wide smile spread on her lips. “Well, actually, I can make you human again, Jayd."
Shock and surprise bolted through her. How was that possible? Could she be mortal again? Could she be able to walk in the sun without the thought of it hurting her? Could she eat regular food once again? Or was this all a bluff to get her to do something? “Look, I appreciate the offer and all, but Azrael said that I can't go back. It was my destiny to be a vampire. Once I crossed the threshold of death, there was no way for me to be mortal again. Even Seth tried and he wasn't able to get anywhere. How can you make me human again?"
Morrigain waved her hand at Jayd. “Such a silly thing about angels is that they have too many clouds in their brains. Seriously, do you know how much time they sit up there observing what's going on with mortals? To them humans are pawns they can move about. Azrael only told you that because he didn't want you to be human again. He's the Angel of Death. If you messed around with his domain, then he'd be out of a spot on cloud nine plucking his harp. I swear to you, Jayd, I can make you mortal once more. You can live a normal lifespan, have children, grow old, and not have this awful thirst tugging at the back of your mind all the time. Don't you want that? You have to choose quickly, though, because this is a onetime proposition."
Jayd stared at her and then at the floor. She hated being a vampire, but did she want to grow old? She had always desired children and instinctively she knew that she was no longer able to have them. If Seth was her mate, did he want them? She could never give him that. This woman was giving her a one-shot deal to give her back her dreams. Closing her eyes, she knew her decision.
"I want to be warm again. I want my own heartbeat. I don't want this life. I never did. If you can give me back my humanity, I'll do anything.” Jayd didn't dare look the goddess in the eye. She heard Seth's voice outside with another that she recognized from before, from her shop. It was Seth's friend Arik. The faint tinkling of the chimes in Seth's dreads made her happy. Now his friend was not needed because Jayd didn't need to appease her hunger. She would be human once again.
"I thought you would say that."
Jayd's head shot up when she heard the difference in the tone of the goddess's voice. Standing before her was Robyn, the sorceress who had tried to help her before. In her hand was a long, pointed, wooden stake. Before Jayd had time to react, she felt the stake plunge into her chest and pierce her heart. The pain was worse than her hunger. A garbled shriek left her lips. Robyn bent over her and whispered something in her ear.
"That is what he gets for loving you instead of me. I was meant for him. Not you, bitch."
Jayd looked over to the door to see Seth's feet. She felt a rush of air when Robyn disappeared. Her vision grew dark. She tried to hold on, but her body didn't have enough blood to fix the wound. Stakes were lethal to vampires. Beheading was too. Jayd reached out her hand to Seth and felt the barest touch of his flesh against her own.
"Don't leave me, Jayd. I can't be alone again."
Jayd heard him shout inside her mind, but she was unable to answer him.
* * * *
It was dark when Jayd opened her eyes. There was no moon above her. The sky was vacant. A blanket of darkness had been thrown over the silver orb to block out everything. The grass was soft beneath her hands and smelled sweet. She didn't feel any pain, and there was no sign of her hunger. She got up slowly and recognized where she was. It might have been pitch, but she could see if it was a bright day. This time, she had awakened right on the edge of the clearing where there was a void and then grass. Before her, the dark expanse stretched endlessly, and she felt a cool breeze blowing from it. Wanting to be sure she was seeing everything right, Jayd rubbed her eyes. She tried to stretch her mind out and feel Seth, but even he was cut off from her. Losing him made a part of her sad. She began to understand that she did love him. Jayd desired to be with him. She wanted it so badly that it hurt, but every time they got close, something happened. Jayd was not good for him, no matter how much she felt for him. He was lost to her.
"You just can't stay away from me, can you?"
Jayd looked up at the voice and realized it was Azrael. He leaned on the expanse like it was a wall. To him it appears to be solid. Even without the absence of light with her new senses she could make out the outline of his wings was blue against the darkness. She smiled slightly. The angel was a mystery to her. She understood that he was a vampire, but there was something else about him she couldn't place. It seemed that he was not all there. He was listening to her, but not all of him was in the meadow with her.
"And right you are
. It's not. I'm collecting souls while I am talking to you. Now I am here to collect yours."
Jayd realized he had heard her thoughts. She did not like his answer. He was going to be taking her soul? She was dead. “You can't. I have to go back. It can't be my time to die."
Azrael uncrossed his arms and knelt down next to her. “I'm sorry, Jayd. I know it's not what you wanted. You were just getting used to the idea of being a vampire. Now it's your time to be embraced by me. Seth loves you. He'll find you again. I can promise you that. Next time, you will be human."
Jayd's cheeks were wet. She was crying. She laughed. Now that she was dead, she could cry. “How can I be human again? I'll be dead."
"You'll be reborn as a mortal. From there, Seth will be able to find you once more. The course of your life from there I cannot say, but I bet you Seth will stop at nothing to be sure that he has found you once again. He loves you."
"Great, I'll be a two-year-old and the love of my life will be however old Seth is. I don't believe in reincarnation. I never have."
Azrael drew himself up. “You should. You'll be meeting your Aunt Gabrielle pretty soon. She wanted to come back as quickly as she could so she would be able to be there for you. You're both slated to come back together. You'll be sisters this time around, but that's all I can tell you about your upcoming destiny."
The Angel of Death reached out his hand. Jayd stared at it for a moment and then slowly wrapped her fingers around his while he helped her to her feet. Sadness enveloped her. This was the only course of action. She closed her eyes before looking over her shoulder.
"Bye, Seth.” Jayd turned back to the Angel of Death. She could tell that he sympathized with her. His feelings washed over her when his wings brushed the side of her cheek. She pretended it was Seth wishing her good-bye. She clutched Azrael's hand and let herself be led through the threshold of death.
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Chapter Twenty
Seth pulled the stake from Jayd's chest. It came out with a horrible sucking sound that stopped his heart and crushed his soul. Blood pooled around her. The wood had plunged all the way through her back and she was pinned to the floor. He threw the stake aside and lifted Jayd carefully in his arms, trying not to hurt her more. He opened himself up to all his power. It covered her in a golden blanket of light, settling over the grievous wound. His power healed her, but when her flesh was smooth, her heart did not start beating again. He tried again, he called out inside his mind, but the link between them was no more. There was only silence on the other end, a large, endless void that he had before he had known that Jayd was his heartmate. Why now when they had come through hardships was she supposed to be taken from him?
"Seth, brother. She's gone. There is nothing you can do for her,” Arik whispered.
Seth looked at his brother and shook his head. There must be something that I can do? There just has to be. This is not our destiny. Jayd is supposed to be with me in this lifetime. They were not supposed to be separated. He had waited all these years, and now his love had been ripped from his arms. Seth closed his eyes. There was only one person who could have done this to him. He hugged Jayd close to him and then laid her gently on his bed. “Will you sit with her just in case?” he asked Arik, looking over his shoulder.
Arik laid a hand on his back. “Of course, Seth. But where are you going?"
Seth called his sword to his hand. “To the one who took her away from me. She is going to pay!” Before Seth could hear Arik's protests, Seth had the shadows around him so thick that no air could get between him and where they stopped. He was a shadow himself. He had perfected this skill over hundreds of centuries, and now he was going to put it to good use. The Raven Warrior knew where he was going, and he was not going to let anyone stop him. Not even the goddess herself. This time he would not bow down to her. He would dispose of Robyn and all her troublemaking. Then he would throw down his sword for good at the feet of Nephthys. This was going to be the last time something good given to him would be taken away. It was not fair. It was not right. His destiny should have been with Jayd. Now she was beyond his reach.
Seth appeared inside of Robyn's cottage. The sun was breaking on the horizon, signaling only one more day that he and his other brothers could be in human form. By the time this day was ended, the sorceress would be dead, and his source of grief for the past five hundred years would be gone. He had given his one gift to Robyn to save her from the Inquisition. All this time she had wanted him for herself, and when it came time to face the fact that Seth didn't love her, she couldn't handle it and had to punish him the way she had been punished all those years ago. If Seth could do everything over, he would have left Robyn on the rack to rot.
"Robyn, where the hell are you?” he shouted.
"Right behind you. There is no need to yell.” Seth swung around only to find the sorceress in the doorway. She was dressed in a simple gray dress handwoven from wool. Her hair was down around her shoulders and accentuated her round face. She looked weary. She knew that her time was up and he was going to come for her.
Seth leveled his sword at her neck. One slice and her hateful eternity would be over. She would get what she had been moaning about for the past few hundred years. Robyn did not flinch when the cold of the blade touched her flesh. “You took the one person that mattered most to me. Now it's your turn to pay."
"Good. Now you know how I feel. Make your strike clean, Seth. I'm tired of this life. I'm tired of being alone. Just get it over with. There will be no guilt on your conscious.” Robyn closed her eyes while she waited for the sword to connect with her flesh.
Seth drew back his hand. The hatred he had for this woman boiled his veins. He was surprised that the silver of his sword was not blazing red from the heat emanating from him. His heart was dead. The hunger he had inherited from Jayd was still there, but it was a whisper of what it once was. At least he had something of hers to hold on to. The Raven Warrior stepped back to strike, but something caught his blade. He turned around, and there was Nephthys with a scowl on her face. He turned to confront the goddess. When he did, the whole room changed. He was no longer in the cottage. Now he stood before the horseshoe council table with Horat sitting at the head, Nephthys stood behind Horat, Robyn to his left, and Azrael leaning against one of the silver columns inscribed with the triple raven sigil the rest of the flock had.
"Why have you brought us here?” Seth asked, feeling the venom in his voice. He looked over at Robyn who opened her eyes and was taking in the change in scenery.
"Why did you make him stop?” the sorceress whined. “It's what I wanted. I've craved death for centuries, and now you stop him from taking my life. Why?"
Seth saw Azrael look at Horat and then at Nephthys. Both of them nodded. Seth saw Azrael pull back his lips in a sneer and saw the angel's pointed canine teeth that signaled he was not a perfect angel. He was something else. Seth had guessed the angel was a vampire or had been a vampire in a former incarnation and somehow had gotten elevated to his position. How or why that happened he had never asked the angel and never expected to. The only thing he wanted to do now was beg him to bring Jayd back and to silence Robyn once and for all.
"You want to know why you're here instead of in the other realm with me. You're soul is tainted, Robyn. I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole. I would take a worm over you. Seth gave up the one gift he's given with his curse and imparted it to you. You have done nothing but take advantage of that for centuries. Just because I am Death doesn't mean that I don't know what you've done with your time. You've traded daggers that have brought two of the Ravens and their heartmates to my door. You should be punished more than what you have in store for you. Even when it does come time for you to cross over, you'll never be mortal again. There's only one place for your kind to go."
Azrael's eyes grew black. His fangs got longer. His fists were balled at his side. Without warning, he pounded one of them against the marble column by Robyn's head. The
sorceress cringed at the impact. A chunk of marble fell to the floor. Seth had never seen the angel in such a state. Seth kept quiet and watched when Azrael bowed before Nephthys.
"Forgive me. I must go elsewhere. What you wish will be done.” Seth caught the sidelong glance from the Angel of Death, and without another word, he was gone. But then again, that was the way of angels. Seth never had much interaction with them except when it came to Azrael. Raven Warriors were reserved the right when they died to be escorted to the other realm by the angel himself.
Nephthys said nothing but let go of Seth's sword and walked between him and Robyn. Seth waited for his judgment. It was obvious that the goddess was not happy with him trying to kill the sorceress. He expected to be stuck in Raven form for the rest of his eternal life. If that were the case, he would try his hardest to keep Jayd's memory alive. Without her, he was nothing. Without her, there was no cause for him to exist.
"Seth, you have attacked one of your own. The one to whom you gave your only gift of immortality. For that, you should be punished...” Nephthys began.
The Raven Warrior fell to his knees before the goddess. He waited for the pain to start, for her wrath to fall upon him, but there was nothing.
"But under the circumstances, the council understands your reasons. Morrigain and I have come to some conclusions about what's going to be done with you, Robyn,” Horat finished the goddess's sentence.
Seth looked over at the leader of the Raven Council. He stood up and walked around the empty chairs. What are they going to do to me? Just get it over with so I can face my punishment in peace. If I can't have Jayd, then there is no point in me living. Whatever they are going to do to Robyn won't be enough.
Horat stood before them in a long white robe belted at the waist with gold cord. Around his neck, he wore something similar to the Egyptian Eye of Horus, but instead of the eye being a circle, it was their symbol, the triple ravens. At this point, Seth was reminded of the day he became a Raven, of the day he was sacrificed to the goddess. Nothing had come of his sacrifice. The Priests of Ra still had been killed, and their religion had been buried in the sand along with the rest of Egypt. Horat was from Atlantis. All Seth knew of him was that he was one of the leaders there before it crashed beneath the waves. Right now, his white hair reminded him of ocean foam clinging to Horat's head. Seth could see the strength in the man, even though he had never challenged him before. Whatever Caleb had done to start the flock must have pissed off his father. Caleb had told Seth that Horat had the council for the past five thousand years. I wonder if he misses his family. Does he even have the privilege of being able to see them or communicate with them?
Whispers in the Dark [A Raven Saga Book 3] Page 19
